The Way Life Is
by oddball15
Summary: Her life was perfect, and she was happy beyond her wildest dreams. Or that’s what she told herself. Slight Nitchie oneshot. :


**So, I recently wrote a Shaitlyn, and decided to write a Nitchie, too. I actually started writing this in guided study, and I never write at school. It's unheard of. Until now. OoOo...**

**And if you've been reading Letters, you're probably like "OMG! Just get on with that story!!" And yeah, I don't blame you. I'm going pretty slow on that one. But I'm working on it! :)**

**Okay, anywaaaay... Enjoy! :D**

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"I'll miss you." Shane whispered into her hair, as he hugged her.

Mitchie tried to smile. "You'll only be gone for a day." The hug felt wrong. She pulled away, trying to make it seem normal.

"Yeah, but still…" Shane kissed her cheek and waved goodbye as he got in the car. Mitchie waved back half-heartedly.

She'd been doing a lot of things half-heartedly the last few weeks. When his car was out of sight she walked down to the lake. The lake where they used to have so much fun. She remembered that first time, when they had been canoeing and longed for back then, when she felt so alive with him. Now, she just wasn't. She wasn't feeling anything with him. She used to be happy with just being in his presence, but lately, if anything, his presence made her feel sad. He was the same Shane she'd fallen in love with, but their kisses no longer contained the love they once had. When he looked at her now, instead of smiling at him, she felt like looking away. What was wrong with her? She sighed heavily and sat down on the bench overlooking the lake.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" came a voice from behind her. She jumped a little in her seat and turned around to see the person the voice belonged to.

"Nate." She was surprised.

"Hey, Mitchie." Nate smiled warmly at her, and noticed her still slightly shocked expression. "Uh, sorry if I scared you. I was just coming down here to relax."

Mitchie smiled back at him. "Me, too." It was a real, genuine smile.

"Mind if I join you?" Mitchie shook her head and patted the spot on the bench next to her.

"How are you?" Nate asked.

Wow. How was she? What a hard question to answer at this time. She definitely wasn't good. But she wasn't bad either.

"Confused." She concluded.

"Would you be annoyed with me if I asked why?" Nate looked a bit concerned.

Mitchie shrugged. "No, but would you really want to get involved?"

"I don't know what that means, but I would like to know why."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Alright, then." Mitchie took a deep breath and told him everything she had been thinking earlier. How she just wasn't _feelin_g when she was with Shane anymore. How she didn't know how she _should_ feel. How she didn't know what to do about it. And it felt good to talk to someone about it. She would have told Caitlyn, but she was no good at relationships. She didn't really know why she was telling Nate. Maybe because from all this time of knowing him, she just knew he could be trusted. He was that kind of a guy. He would get it.

Nate was looking at her intently now. And Mitchie knew he had actually been listening. She didn't think anyone could do that anymore. Really listen.

"Are you still in love with him?"

Mitchie looked out at the water. What was with all the simple, complicated questions?

"I don't _know_." She finally said, distressed.

Nate nodded slightly.

"Do you want my opinion?" He asked her seriously.

She nodded. "Yes."

"I think that….if you don't know if you're still in love with him…. Then you probably aren't." He studied Mitchie's face to see if maybe he had crossed a line he was sure would show up. Her eyebrows pulled up and her mouth turned down. She sighed.

"What do I do, then, Nate? I still love him; I'm just not _in _love with him. He still seems the exact same. I don't _want _to hurt him. I don't want him to hate me." She pulled her knees up on the bench and hugged them to her chest.

Nate rubbed her back in an attempt to calm her down.

"God, what's wrong with me?" She sat up again, and shook her head. "He's so perfect. So why is this going bad? Why am I so messed up?"

Nate took Mitchie's hand.

"There's nothing wrong with you, Mitchie. There's nothing wrong with you not being in love with Shane anymore. Some things are meant to be and some aren't. It's just the way life is."

Mitchie squeezed his hand. That's all she needed. She needed to know that it was okay. She needed someone to understand. "I'm so glad I have you, Nate. Thank you so much."

Nate hugged her, and neither of them pulled away.

This time, it felt right.

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**So... what did you think? Kinda cheesy? Kinda blech? Kinda cute? Kinda really cute? Yeah... I don't really know what to think about it yet. I like it, but I don't at the same time. But then again- you're your own worst critict, right? Thanks for reading! I really hope you liked it and pretty please review! **


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